Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency is responsible for the administration of the Family Resource Centre Programme.

I have allocated an additional €4.5m in funding for the Family Resource Centre Programme between 2018 and 2019. This allowed for increases in core funding for each centre, as well as the establishment of 11 new FRCs last year, bringing the total number of FRCs funded under the Programme to 121.

Each individual FRC has a Voluntary Board of Management, which is responsible for the recruitment of its employees and the terms and conditions under which they are employed.

As the Deputy's question refers to an operational matter for Tusla, I have requested Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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In 2008, funding to the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme was provided by the Family Support Agency (FSA), which was under the aegis of the former Department of Social and Family Affairs. Responsibility for the FSA transferred to the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs in 2010 and then to my Department when it was established in 2011. The FSA was dissolved in 2014, and its constituent programmes, including the FRC Programme, were transferred to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency in 2014, under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013.

The Deputy’s question refers to the operation of the FRC Programme in 2008, and the distribution of funding to individual centres. I have asked Tusla to respond to the Deputy directly on this matter.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme.

In Budget 2019, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs secured an increase of €1.5 million in funding for the FRC Programme. This brings the overall financial allocation for the Programme to €18 million.

This additional funding is being used to:

- Increase core funding to each of the 110 FRCs which existed pre-2018 by 5%.

- Employ an additional 17 Family Support Workers - one FRC in each of the 17 Tusla geographical areas will be allocated funding to employ a Family Support Worker.

- Fund the Family Resource Centre Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Promotion Programme.

I can confirm that there are 121 Family Resource Centres in operation to date in 2019.

The allocation of funding to individual Family Resource Centres is an operational matter for Tusla. I have requested Tusla to provide the Deputy with the requested information directly.